Our Services

Newborn Medicine

Description of Services

UPMC Newborn Medicine Program and Children’s Hospital’s Transport Team with Dr. Melissa RileyKDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway (10/22/14)

The UPMC Newborn Medicine Program provides comprehensive multidisciplinary state-of-the-art care for critically ill newborns throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area and beyond. Our Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are located at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, UPMC Mercy, and UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa. In addition, we provide multidisciplinary inpatient care at The Children’s Home & Lemieux Family Center in the Lawrenceville area of Pittsburgh. For more information about each of our individual inpatient units, please visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Units page. There also are active outpatient programs with our Neonatal Follow-Up Clinics and the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center.

We see and treat infants of all gestational ages with life-threatening medical emergencies and congenital malformations. Each of our NICUs features a full complement of specially trained physicians, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, and support staff. Neonatologists provide and supervise around-the-clock care at all units. In addition to neonatologists, experts in pediatric medicine and pediatric surgery are available at any time. Our physicians are experts in managing state-of-the-art therapies for critically ill infants, including the use of inhaled Nitric Oxide (iNO), Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), and induced Whole Body Hypothermia.

There are active transport programs at both Children’s Hospital and Magee-Womens Hospital, with teams available 24 hours a day for the transport of critically ill infants. A neonatologist on call is always available to make arrangements for patient transfers and telephone consultation regarding stabilization prior to transfer. Neonates transferred to any one of our units are cared for by the same group of neonatologists, who are all members of the UPMC Newborn Medicine Program, which is part of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Communication on the progress of newborns is provided to the family and referring physicians on an ongoing basis to maintain continuity of care in preparation for discharge. Our focus is to provide the best patient care while meeting the needs of the entire family. Our staff is sensitive to the family and the developmental needs of the infant.

Tantamount to the superior clinical care are two other goals that the UPMC Newborn Medicine Program embraces: commitment to cutting-edge research and providing exceptional medical education and training. We take pride in contributing to one of the fastest growing pediatric research programs in the United States. Our basic science research physicians are expanding our understanding of many common neonatal disease processes while exploring innovative therapies for treatment. Our clinical research physicians are participating in many multicenter studies: studies vital to solving many of today's health challenges, helping to improve the safety and efficacy of current treatments, and investigating promising new therapies and interventions.

The Department of Pediatrics is committed to maintaining the finest medical education and training programs in the health care industry. As part of that mission, the division actively participates in the education of medical students from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. We also offer a comprehensive three-year fellowship program in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine that combines rigorous clinical training with a mentored research experience. Our educational goals are to help nurture students and create physicians who are science-based, skilled, and compassionate clinicians prepared to meet the challenges of practicing medicine in the ever-changing 21st century.

Referral Requirements

Emergency referrals, transport, transfer coordination, and consultation can be obtained 24 hours a day. For emergency referrals, the Communications Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a pediatric emergency dispatch system, coordinates all interfacility transports and can be reached by calling 412-692-5000. Consultation with a neonatologist on call can be obtained by calling Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC at 412-692-5325.

Referrals are required from primary care physicians or other Children’s Hospital specialty services. Referrals for patients enrolled in managed care insurance plans also may require authorization from the insurance provider and primary care physician.